


Pine Trees and Perfume

by Zenpaii



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Childhood Friends, Frustration, Hoping to give each character their own arc, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Japanese High School, M/M, Popular Amami, Saimami, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, amasai, not pregame personalities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-08-30 02:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenpaii/pseuds/Zenpaii
Summary: Shuichi Saihara and Rantaro Amami used to be friends. Once high school hit, they suddenly stopped spending time together, as friends sometimes do. Amami was just popular, and Shuichi was not. He acts as if it doesn't bother him, but he avoids Amami at all costs, and wonders if he was dropped because he wasn't good enough.The first year of high school was easy. They didn't have classes together, didn't see each other in the halls, didn't have the same friends.The second year of high school was a very different story.





	1. Chapter 1

_It’s been years since I first met Amami-kun. My best friend until we hit high school. I don’t know what happened that year. It was a simple case of he was popular, I was not. I focused on my studies, he focused on making friends. And so we drifted. But it wasn’t always like this. We were close. Very, very close._

—

_“Saihara-kun!” It was the second year of elementary school, the first day of it. Shuichi was looking around helplessly for his friend who promised to be there. His parents had told him to just go on his own, and he hadn’t wanted to bother the only friend he had been able to make last year by asking Amami to walk to school with him. So, when he heard his name being called he immediately hurried towards the voice._

_“There you are! Where’s your mom and dad?” Amami had given the smaller boy a hug when he saw him heading over, a protective aura already emitting from him. “They... dropped me off,” he lied, resting his head on Rantaro’s chest. “Well, I’ll pick you up from now on so you won’t be alone when you arrive!” The grin on his face made Shuichi smile more than he ever had. His friend... his **best** friend._

—

The halls are packed again today. Shuichi sighed as he tried not to get bumped around, pulling his backpack closer to him. It was the second year of high school and he already wanted to give up. He no longer lived with his abusive parents, which was a plus, but now he was living alone. Which almost felt even worse.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t make friends. He did have friends at some point. The first year he was able to meet Akamatsu-san, a musician better than anyone he had ever met. She moved away after just a few months though for an advanced music program. Momota-kun was the one he stuck with after she had moved off. He lacked any and all common sense, but he was brilliant when it came to school. He got sick and had to drop out of school before the end of last year.

His luck with friends was truly terrible.

He waited against the wall until the hallway emptied out, not wanting to deal with the rush to lunch. It took a few minutes, but everyone had finally left, and he was able to start walking towards the stairs.

“Amami-kun! Wait up!”

Shuichi couldn’t help but glance over when he heard a girl’s pleading voice, frowning when he saw Amami wait up for her. “So slow~ Hey, how about you meet me in the lunchroom, I have to go pick up something.” They were just at the end of the hallway, where he was heading. It would be too obvious if he turned around now. The girl nodded and turned around to go towards the lunch hall after teasing him a bit.

Anxiety started to flow through his body, forcing his eyes to stay trained on the ground as he walked as fast as he could towards the end of the hall. As long as he didn’t make eye contact everything would be fine.

The next few seconds passed slower than any moment in his life. It wasn’t often they passed each other with no one else around. Shuichi could feel the air that passed by him, the scent of pine trees and perfume filling his nose. The ache he felt in his heart was worse than it ever had been, enough to almost stop his walk towards the stairs. The way both of them stared straightforward was unnatural, desperate not to make eye contact.

This has to change.

—

_Pine trees and perfume. That’s what Amami’s room smelled like. It was Shuichi’s first time inside anyone else’s house, so this was an exciting moment for him. He had seen a few of his sisters on the way in- they must have been who the strong perfume smell came from. Being an only child, seeing so many other people in one house was an overwhelming feeling, but he felt safe once his friend had closed the door to his room._

_“Mom said you can stay over tonight, if you want! And eat dinner with us! You don’t have home cooked meals often, right?” Rantaro somehow knew so much about him, even though they had only known each other for a couple years. Had he really told him all about his family? “Mn!” Saihara was definitely happy about the thought of a hot meal, and being able to sleep with someone else around. He came to love that strange mix of smells._

—

Eating on the roof alone wasn’t all that bad. Shuichi had learned to cook himself meals for school so he didn’t have to go anywhere near the lunch room, and he had gotten pretty good at it. He could look down at everyone walking about and eat in peace, study if he needed to.

Eating alone wasn’t bad. But eating when there were other people on the roof was terrible.

When he heard the roof’s door squeak open, he visibly flinched. Why was there someone else coming up here?

“Excuse me?”

_And why were they talking to him?_

Saihara had turned towards the voice, recognizing her as the girl that was speaking with Amami previously. He didn’t get a word out before she continued talking. “I’m going to have a date up here soooo... Can you leave?” He sighed softly and packed up his lunch, standing up without another word and heading towards the door. It wasn’t like he wanted to watch someone else go on a date anyways, not that eating lunch at school together could really be considered a _date_.

“Oh, excuse me.”

Shuichi recognized his voice as soon as he heard it from under the roof door's archway, knowing that the words he mumbled in return were inaudible. He pushed past Amami quickly, his heart racing in his chest. Why? Why was he running into him so much today?

“Hey,” he heard Amami call out from behind him, so he stopped and looked back. What? He had never talked to him before. Not like he had ever tried to strike any conversation. “If you were eating you didn’t have to-“ “It’s fine,” Shuichi quickly interrupted, sprinting down the stairs. That was his chance. His one chance to change things. To turn things back to the way they were.

And he completely ruined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a while since I've tried to write an actual, long story so I'm really nervous about this. I've written quite a few chapters already, to give myself a head start, so hopefully this will go down well. And that people will enjoy this. Thanks for reading, and buckle up for one wild ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Classes were always boring to Shuichi. Even though it was the first day of the second year of high school, all his classes were the same. Boring. Except this year, he wasn’t able to escape classes with Amami.

The whole class practically flocked to him, not that he was very surprised. Rantaro was good looking, had charm, and got along well with all the girls. “Hey hey, are you coming to the mixer tomorrow night?” “Oh no, I can’t, I already promised a night with the guys~” Amami responded to one of the girls surrounding him, while another let out an annoyed whine. “But you absolutely _have_  to! Everyone’s looking forward to it! C’mon, for me?” The small brunette girl giggled next to him, lightly nudging his shoulder with her hand.

Thank god the teacher walked in to stop the conversation. Shuichi wasn’t sure he could listen to much more of it.

Sitting in the back of the class definitely had its perks. Listening while not participating was one of them. He was also a lot more invisible in the back, which was what he was aiming for. Being closer to the back door was another one. Once class ended he had never hurried out of a class faster than this one.

—

_“A-Amami-kun! Wait!” Shuichi ran towards the classroom’s exit, pushing past everyone that was trying to get out. “Ah-!”_

_Falling to the floor felt like the biggest embarrassment. He flushed as Amami held out his hand to help him up, laughing softly. “I was going to wait for you! Don’t worry about me leaving you alone, I would never do that to my Saihara!” The grin on the other’s face was convincing enough to relax Shuichi, smiling back at him. “Promise? Even... even though I sit all the way in the front and... I might always be the last out?”_

_Amami’s smile only widened, nodding his head confidently. “Mm!”_

—

Home was just as boring as school was. Shuichi used his free time cleaning up the large house, and the rest studying or playing games on his phone. And talking to his one and only online friend.

**Hoshii** : How was your day?

**Saihara** : Boring. Talked to my ex best friend for the first time since I started high school today. It was scary ;;

**Hoshii** : Do you want to talk about it? I’ve never heard you mention this best friend before.

He met Ryoma on a forum somewhere a year ago, when everything had taken a bad turn. Shuichi’s parents died in a plane crash during one of their alone time trips, leaving him everything they owned since they hadn’t written out a will. As much as he hated them, the feeling of utter loneliness had hit him hard. Hoshii was able to talk some sense into him that summer before high school began.

**Saihara** : Not much to talk about. We just grew apart. He’s pretty popular and stuff. He helped me a lot through my younger years, but people change so it’s not a big surprise. It’s probably my fault, since I haven’t tried talking to him at all. I’ve been nervous.

**Hoshii** : I want you to make an effort to put yourself out there, maybe even talk to him. You’re going to keep feeling nervous every time you see him if you don’t, and you could get a friend back. Someone that can help you when I can’t.

Ryoma was right. Shuichi _knew_  that he was right. But something like that seemed impossible.

**Saihara** : I’ll try ^^; I’m going to make dinner and head to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?

**Hoshii** : Yeah. Goodnight, and sleep well.

—

_“Wow! Your food is really yummy! It’s better than my mom’s!” Amami was excitedly eating up the food Shuichi had just made him, smiling at the compliment. “I... I make food a lot so I have to be good. I’m glad you like it.”_

_It was the first time Amami was sleeping over at his house. It was the first time they were really alone together. “Are your parents working again?”_

_Shuichi couldn’t count how many times he had been asked that, and how many times he had said yes. As far as Amami knew they came home late at night and left early in the morning. The reality was they just weren’t home for weeks straight. It was better when they weren’t._

_“They work a lot! My dad works a lot too. All I wanna do when I grow up is travel! Doesn’t that sound fun?” Saihara had always wanted to travel with his parents, even though they never let him. So, of course it sounded fun. Actually doing something like that sounded so much better than sitting around all day. “Then, let’s travel all over the world, together!” Amami grinned as he said that, reaching over to hold the smaller boy’s hand tightly. Together... that really did sound nice._  

—

The blaring of his phone alarm made him second guess whether he wanted to go to school today. “Alright alright, I’m getting up,” Shuichi mumbled, reaching over to turn the ringing off. He had promised Hoshii he’d at least try to get himself out there, and staying home wouldn’t make that happen.

**Saihara** : I’m going to change things today!

**Hoshii** : Good for you! Have a good day, don’t worry if things don’t work out just how you plan them to.

Despite the confidence he displayed for Ryoma, he didn’t feel that way at all. How badly would he screw things up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates every Monday is my goal, even though the chapters are rather short right now, I'll work on getting later ones longer to make up for it!


	3. Chapter 3

Lunch time came sooner than expected. Shuichi knew that eating on the roof wasn’t a possibility anymore, since Rantaro would most likely be up there. So, the busy cafeteria it was. He was early, having rushed out of his class, and sat himself down on the corner seat of a table. No one should bother him here. Or at least, he hoped no one would. 

Making friends wasn’t something that Saihara wanted to do. If he learned anything from the past, it was that friends just didn’t last. They all moved along without him while he got held back by life. They changed, and he didn’t change with them. There was no point in trying to make friends that he’d just have to say goodbye to.

—

_”You’re too negative! You need to be more positive! Smile more, Shuichi-kun!” Amami grinned over at him as they walked hand in hand towards their elementary school. “But what if they... what if they say those things again?” Came the soft whisper from Saihara, looking up at his friend sadly._

_“Then, I’ll protect you!”_

—

“Hello.”

Shuichi glanced over from his food to meet sharp yellow eyes, a frown falling over his face. Korekiyo Shinguji. Of course he knew him. He was Amami’s new best friend. They were always around each other. But why was he talking to Saihara? He couldn’t see the green haired man around anywhere- he must have ditched his friends for the girl on the roof. Figures. “Hi...” A timid greeting was all he was able to get out, going back to eating at his food.

“There’s a mixer happening tonight. Amami-kun canceled last minute so we need someone to fill for him. Would you be up to it?”

 _No_ was the immediate answer that crossed his mind. A definite no. His previous conversation with Hoshii flitted through his mind and he audibly sighed. “I’m not busy tonight so... yeah I can go.” At least he could be certain Amami wouldn’t be there, so it was one less thing to worry about. 

“Oh~ so this is the boy who Amami-kun suggested? Hm... isn’t he too much of a loner to want to go out? Nishishi~” Ah, that laugh. Sinister, with a hint of amusement. Not the person he really wanted to be associating with.

“He has already said yes, Ouma-kun. Please return to your seat.” Korekiyo glanced over in annoyance, standing up from his temporary seat. “Meet us at Hiro’s at around eight tonight.” That was all he said before him and Ouma walked back towards their table. 

Why did he agree to that again? Shuichi sighed as he ate his home cooked food, contemplating how he would handle being around those guys all night. 

—

_”I don’t like thunder...”_

_Amami frowned when he saw his friend shivering next to him, gently wrapping his arms around Shuichi. Just a bit earlier, the smaller boy asked that he come over- something he never did. He realized that maybe it was because Saihara was afraid of the storm that was passing that night. “I’ll be here to protect you. Always. I told you that, right? So even if you’re scared, just call for me okay? I’ll be here to hold you until it’s better.”_

_The soft sound of Amami’s voice instantly calmed him, relaxing into his side. “Thank you.”_

—

It was already raining by the time Shuichi got to Hiro’s, but he had prepared with a dark blue umbrella to keep him dry. He walked inside and leaned his umbrella up with the others, making his way towards the table Amami’s friends were sitting at. 

“They’re not going to show up. They only like Amami-kun, you know. And since he bailed at the last minute, the rest of us suffer! He’s holding me back from getting a girlfriend!” Ouma huffed and slumped back against the padded booth, lazily looking over at Shuichi. 

“You’re truly ridiculous. Let’s do what we normally do.” Shinguji sounded more than annoyed at how the other boy was acting, lifting his hand to get the attention of the waiter. While Kiyo ordered drinks, Shuichi could feel eyes on him. Was it... just the three of them right now? Weren’t other guys supposed to be showing up too? 

“What?” He finally gave in to the staring, starting to feel uncomfortable. “I didn’t even know you were in our school~ you’re so quiet. I wonder how Amami-kun even knew you existed!” Ouma really didn’t hold back, did he? 

Saihara gave a simple shrug in response, watching as drinks were placed in front of them. Was this... alcohol? 

He gave it a confused look before taking a sip. _Definitely._  Kiyo must have been older than he thought. Or just convincing? Fake ID? 

“Oh, you saved a seat for me!” 

All three heads turned to look at the unexpected face, watching as he slid in next to Shuichi. _What? He... wasn’t supposed to show up, right?_

“Amami-kuuuuuuun! You lied again? No one showed up because of you!” Ouma whined, crossing his arms like a child. A laugh that he never thought he’d hear again resounded through the small bar, followed by a new set of eyes on him. 

“Saihara-kun, right?” Amami smiled over at him, but he purposefully avoided his eyes. He was pretending not to know him. What was the point? “Yeah.” A simple answer. He didn’t want to say anything that would indicate how shaky his voice was. 

At the sound of thunder outside, he involuntarily shivered and flinched. Ah, he forgot that it was storming outside. How had Amami stayed dry? He must have brought in an umbrella he didn’t see.

“Saihara-chan is shaking! Awww, scared of a little thunder~?” Ouma teased, smirking. “No wonder you’re invisible, you’re overly boring.”

It was a joke. He could tell that much, since he was already joking. But it felt all too familiar. It felt too real. He drank down his drink fast, eyes nervously scouring the table. “Relax, Ouma-kun.” Shuichi was glad Kiyo was standing up for him, but it wasn’t needed. “No, it’s okay. I’m... going home.” 

Getting up from the booth was a feat in itself, but he still somehow was able to make it to the door, grabbing his umbrella. 

He was apparently a lightweight, but he wouldn’t let that stop him from getting out of there as fast as possible.

“Wait.” Amami got up from the booth and walked over, a kind smile on his face. “I’m the one who got you into this mess of a get together... can I walk you home? It’s the least I can do.” 

“Ehhh? Already?” Ouma whined in annoyance, leaning against his hand with a heavy sigh. “Looks like it’s _really_ just you and me, Shinguji-kun.”

Being alone with his ex best friend gave him such an intense anxiety he wasn’t sure he’d be able to say anything. But when he did, he really wished he had stayed quiet. “Sure...” If it was just walking him home, it would be fine. This was his chance to talk to Rantaro about things. He really could change everything around.

Amami turned to say goodbye, and the last thing Shuichi heard while walking out of Hiro’s was Ouma grumbling about how he was always getting left behind.

 


	4. Chapter 4

It was silent for a long while. Neither of them could find anything to say. Or at least the right thing to say. He hadn’t been alone like this with Amami in years. Though, this feeling... it was familiar.

—

_”Shuichi-kun, let’s play something fun today!” Rantaro grinned over at the slightly smaller boy, swinging their entwined hands back and forth as they walked. They had been walking from school together more recently, since Shuichi was starting to feel lonely after his parents had left again._

_“We have homework,” came the soft reply, but Amami only laughed as they stopped in front of Saihara’s house. “Then, let’s do your homework and then play! There’s this one game on my system I want to show you!”_

—

“So... how have you been?” Shuichi flinched when he heard the other’s voice for the first time this whole trip, glancing over at him. _So, he does remember me._  He clenched his teeth tight, eyes moving to focus on the ground. “Everything’s been fine. What about for you?” What a stupid question. He’s been anything but fine since Amami left him. But what was he going to say?

“Yeah, everything has been good!” Awkward laughter filled the air as Shuichi walked up to his front door and unlocked it, hand ready to open it and be alone finally. “Great. I’m going now, goodbye,” Saihara whispered, opening the door and stepping inside. “Wait, Saihara-kun... can I come in? I want to make sure you’re okay. I won’t take no for an answer!” Was Amami always this stubborn? He stepped back, motioning inside, closing the door after the taller boy stepped in.

“Are your parents still working all the time?” Amami asked, pulling off his jacket and looking around. As far as he knew this place was always empty, so it wasn’t much of a change. 

“No, they died the summer before high school started.” Saihara couldn’t really be sad about it. It felt like nothing had changed after they died. 

Even so, Amami noticed how his face expressed the hurt that his ex friend was feeling deep down. Why? Why hadn’t he known? “I’m... so sorry Saihara-kun. I had no idea, really. Uhm... do you want to talk-“ “ _You_  did this.” Shuichi eyes were somewhat hazy, with the most hurtful look Amami had ever seen upon Shuichi’s face. 

“You... if you just hadn’t left me! You were the only one that could protect me. And you just pretended like I didn’t exist. Do you know how that feels? I thought maybe you were busy over the summer, and I didn’t want to annoy you, so I looked forward to the first day of high school. I wanted to tell you everything bad that happened over the summer so you could try and calm me down but you had new friends. People liked you a lot, even from day one. When you stopped caring about me, I stopped caring about me too. I thought, _am I really that forgettable? That someone I spent my entire childhood with is just going to pretend that I’m not here?_  No matter how many times we passed by each other in the hallway you didn’t look at me for even a second. I kept thinking _he’ll look at me this time_  but it **never**  happened! It never happened! You really stopped caring... you really...” Shuichi really tried to stay mad, but his words were incomprehensible as he sobbed louder. 

The arms that wrapped around him were strong, and made him feel warm, and calm. Saihara cried into Amami’s chest, gripping his shirt tightly as he tried to stop his trembling. “Saihara-kun... let’s get you to bed. It’s been a long day. Okay?” The sweetness in his words made him want to cry more, but he simply shook his head and pulled away from his warm body. “O...Okay.”

—

_”Shuichi-kun, don’t cry! You did your best, it’s okay!” Rantaro had his arms wrapped tight around the shorter boy, pulling him to his chest. Shuichi had just failed his first test, and the second the two of them got to his house he had started crying._

_“A-Amami...kun... A-Am I no good?” The broken cries of the smaller boy practically broke Amami’s heart, shaking his head quickly and stroking Shuichi’s hair. “No, of course you’re good. You’re amazing. So you had an off day, it’s okay! It happens! Everyone has their bad tests. How about... we get some ice cream to make things better?”_

_When Shuichi looked up at him, Rantarou couldn’t help but wipe away his tears and kiss his head. He wanted to protect him with everything he had. “Y-Yeah... Let’s go get ice cream...”_

—

“Are you feeling okay now?” Amami whispered, knelt down next to the bed Shuichi was resting on. 

“I’m okay, really... I just haven’t gone drinking before so I couldn’t handle it,” he mumbled, rolling over to face the other. 

“No, you were right. I left you and I... I shouldn’t have. I’m honestly the worst. I don’t even have a good excuse. You wouldn’t believe me. So, I’ll tell you someday, just not today, you’ll just have to trust me.” Rantarou’s sincere smile was enough for Shuichi to trust him right now, so he simply nodded and closed his eyes. “Sleep well, Saihara-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Shuichi expected to hear footsteps leave the room, but he didn’t. Only the sound of Amami’s quiet breaths as he sat next to his bed. He wasn’t alone right now. He wasn’t going to fall asleep in an empty house. 

Saihara had never fallen asleep faster.


	5. Chapter 5

Amami hadn’t wanted to leave his best friend behind. But sometimes, unexpected things get in the way. Things you *never* expect to happen. He had said “I’ll message you during the summer, I promise!” But never sent a single message. There were too many things running through his mind that he hadn’t found the right time to. And during the first year of their new school, he hadn’t found the time to look at him either.

They had always planned to go to the same high school together. They both studied hard the final months before their exams. Which led to Amami finally understanding some things unrelated to any subjects in school.

_“Amami-kun? Amami... Niisan?” Those words snapped the taller boy out of his thoughts, his gaze settled on his best friend. “You actually listened to me...” Rantarou murmured, grinning wide. Not too long ago he asked Shuichi to start calling him “Niisan” because he thought they were close enough to be practically brothers. He realized now how much of a mistake that was. Shuichi sounded way too cute saying it, but it was too late to take it back now._

_“Yeah, you zoned out so I... I was trying to get your attention.” Shuichi immediately went back to work on the studying they were doing, a soft flush on his face. Was he embarrassed? Maybe since he never had a brother or even a sister, it was weird for him?_

Maybe that was a reason Amami wanted to be like his older brother. If Shuichi needed someone to turn to, he wanted to be there for him. 

So why was it that only months later he was acting like he didn’t even know Saihara?

_“You’ll never leave me, right?” Shuichi was crying in front of him for the thousandth time, and of course Amami was holding him as tight to his body as possible. The smaller boy’s parents had just left again after being back for only one day, so Amami didn’t blame him at all. “Of course not. I’ll always be your big brother, okay? If you need anything, just find me!”_

**How could he promise something he couldn’t follow through with?**

It wasn’t like he wanted this to happen. But sometimes there’s a point where you know that things need to end. For the sake of both parties. Even if it hurts for a bit. Or longer.

The first few months of high school were the hardest. Ignoring Shuichi made him feel guilty. He used the time to make his new friends, Shinguji and Ouma. They weren’t exactly the best influences on him, but they were fun to be around. And they definitely helped take his mind off of things. 

But the most unexpected thing that happened was his growth in popularity. Girls were all over him, everyone was trying to make friends with him, there wasn’t a single person at school who didn’t know the name Amami Rantarou. 

He hated it.

Now he had an image to keep up. There was always too many people crowding him. And no doubt Shuichi would put himself down so much that he’d never gather the courage to even look at Amami. But that was what he wanted... wasn’t it?

Things changed when the second year started, though. Seeing Shuichi being pushed out of his usual eating spot because some girl wanted alone time with Amami... it suddenly hit him. 

Shuichi needed him. Rantarou had been searching for this moment- a way to trick his mind that he _needed_  to talk to Saihara. Telling himself that without Amami there to protect him, he was going to be hurt.

So he used his usual trick. ‘Cancel’ and say that he had something to do, and then spend time with his friends once the girls were told he wasn’t coming. Except this time, Shuichi was there. He pretended not to really know him while they were with Shinguji and Ouma. As far as his friends knew, he just felt bad for the boy and wanted to make him feel less lonely. 

Rantarou wasn’t sure if Shuichi was going to let him walk home with him. He was pleasantly surprised by his willingness. Even if the walk was mostly awkward silence, he was able to let the smaller boy know that he did, in fact, remember him. _Obviously he did._

But when they got to his house... No. There was no way he was going to let Shuichi leave that easily. Amami noticed his subtle stumbling, and the way his words dragged on for a moment too long. 

_Just another way to excuse what he was doing._

Shuichi breaking down was unexpected. And his words hit him hard. There was no excuse. All Amami could do for now was hug him. 

He was finally able to collect his thoughts enough to apologize, but it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.

“Sleep well, Saihara-kun.”

Shuichi looked so peaceful when he slept. No sign of his usual anxiety on his face, no nervous fidgeting or worried eyes. His mouth open, nose still a bit stuffed from crying earlier. Even now, Shuichi was comfortable in front of him. A trust that only best friends could have.

It made Amami feel guilty. Because he thought after a year, things would be different when he met Shuichi again. He was a different person, true, but Shuichi was practically the same. The same shy, sweet, weak kid he always new. There was no doubt.

Amami was still in love with him.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot! It's Monday! Here's a gift for you <3 I'm going to be taking a little break for a while, I'm going to be moving so things will be hectic, but hopefully I'll get back on schedule before the end of January, so stick around for these bois!


End file.
